Prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty for the New Tampa woman accused of killing her two teenage children in 2011.
Julie Schenecker, 53, is charged with first degree murder in the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Calyx and 13-year-old Beau. She is scheduled to go to trial at the end of this month, and her attorneys plan to pursue an insanity defense.
The state planned to seek the death penalty, but in an unexpected move, the State Attorney's Office has filed a notice with the court stating it is withdrawing its notice of intent to seek the death penalty.
Schenecker is accused of shooting her kids on Jan. 27, 2011. She shot Beau after driving him home from soccer practice and then walked upstairs and shot Calyx as she did homework, prosecutors say.
Schenecker has a history of mental illness. She told police she was tired of them talking back.